Switching gears: more commuters bike to work

One way National Geographic staffers in Washington, D.C., can get to know their company’s CEO is to take him up on his long-standing offer: to go for a lunchtime bike ride.

“Anyone still downstairs? OK, so we ready to go, guys?” National Geographic Society CEO John Fahey asks a group of about 20 employees

Fahey, an avid biker, says he’s just trying to encourage a little exercise and he wants the opportunity to get to know folks informally. As the group makes the 15-mile trek to Hains Point along the Potomac River and back, Fahey makes a point of chatting with everyone, staffers say.

At National Geographic which is a hub of outdoorsy, adventure-seeking types who think nothing of biking busy city streets lots of the staffers who join Fahey for the lunchtime rides also use their bikes to get to and from work every day.

“I’ve been riding in for 19 years,” says senior photo editor Dan Westergren, adding that he has definitely noticed the boom especially as bike paths and bike lanes along city streets have improved.

Westergren’s commute is a combined 12 miles to and from home. And he says, given all the biking he does, he doesn’t need a gym membership to stay fit.

“Really, to build it into your daily routine by commuting for me has just been the best thing,” he says.

Cycling Culture

If you bike to work in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Chicago or San Francisco, you’re part of a boom. Cycling has at least tripled over the past two decades in these and other big cities across the U.S.

“It’s almost like a snowball effect,” says researcher John Pucher of Rutgers University. “People see other people cycling and they say, ‘Wow!’ ” As part of a three-year research project for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pucher has completed a preliminary report that documents the increase in biking in nine major North American cities.

“It’s almost become a cultural phenomenon,” Pucher says. “It’s become the ‘in’ thing to do.” For many city dwellers, it’s a money saver, a time saver and a way to sneak in daily exercise.

Research shows that the extra physical activity that people get from walking and biking to work or school is not offset by less recreational activity.

“[Active commuters] actually double the amount of their total physical activity,” says Pucher. And as a result, Pucher says cities with lots of “active” commuters tend to be healthier. The most recent evidence comes from a study Pucher and his colleagues published in the American Journal of Public Health.

They found that the U.S. cities with the highest rates of walking and cycling to work have obesity rates that are 20 percent lower and diabetes rates that are 23 percent lower compared with U.S. cities with the lowest rates of walking and cycling.

Just ‘Hide The Bike Grease’

There are, of course, a few daily obstacles. Take the weather. “In the winter it’s just gross sometimes with the ice,” staffer Julia Yordanova says. And there are also the dangers of traffic. “It’s the cab drivers,” says Jonathan Irish.

Not to mention the need to try to fit in a shower at the office. “You just try to hide the bike grease on your calf as you’re sitting in a meeting,” says Barbara Noe, an editor at Travel Books.

But hey, if the office culture tolerates a little sweat on the brow or grease on the calf take it a sign of good health. That’s the way Pucher sees it.

Pucher says, “Most people understand that walking and cycling is healthy. They don’t think as something they could integrate into their daily lives.”

4 thoughts on - Switching gears: more commuters bike to work

Part of the reasonable apprehension would be cyclists feel has to do with state's persistent con-cycling, pro-automotive attitude. Yet they did pass Colin's Law…http://www2.turnto10.com/news/2010/nov/10/4/billb… http://www.colinslaw.org/
which revokes licenses of chronic offenders. Getting rid of scofflaws seems the best way to increase safety, and it doesn't represent much of an imposition, considering using public transportation and taxis is much cheaper annually.

But doesn't state plan to promote Colin's or Frank's Laws? Seems a non-profit is taking on billboard expense. Shame on RIDOT.

We are having discussions with RIDOT to fund a media campaign to educate drivers about Frank's Law. Look for something heading into Bike Month next year. No, it's not as soon as I would have liked, but it's better than nothing.

Labann

Nov 30, 2010 at 7:17 am

BTW: Stats cited by NPR story are a bit controversial and misleading. Read that bike commuting is up nationally by 22%, but it's still a small number. Cyclists are 1:3 to motorists nationally, but commuting is only 8% of trips. Targeting commuting is sensible, though, since it represents repeat, unavoidable miles. Shopping is tougher, since it involves carrying new vulnerable purchases over long distances, an upshot of poor urban planning.

Critics complain about spending millions on bike infrastructure to serve a tiny demographic so ROI is minimal. But wherever investment is made, ridership increases exponentially for a $20:1 return in combined benefits (health, pollution reduction, etc.). What this argument doesn't mention is the nearly $1 TRILLION spent annually on road construction and maintenance serving motorists. This $2000:1 for automotive to bicycling expenditure is a major component of federal revenue use.

Also read recently that the total global cost of annual petroleum use is $68 trillion. There's no question that this is a huge economic engine. Any serious mitigation might unintentionally result in economic upheaval. Yet with only 1.4 trillion bbl of known reserve, individuals will soon be denied petroleum in favor of energy, government, industry, and military. So, do you want to race (by car) to the end? Or slow down (by bike) and extend it a few more years while alternatives (public and self propulsion) are gradually brought to bear? Meanwhile, why continue blowing billions for roads and traffic tribunal buildings? Automotive is a history's worst public policy failure.

Victor

Dec 1, 2010 at 10:53 am

I would have been happy if this was in RI, but of course, it wasn't.

RIBike meets the second Monday of each month from 6-8pm. All are welcome. Check "Events" for location.

Search

Search for:

Cycle Tracks

Cycle Tracks is RIBike's newsletter, keeping you in the loop on what's going on in the Rhode Island bicycling community.